WASHINGTON, Feb 22 (Alliance News): The United States Secret Service said Sunday that its agents shot and killed an armed man who unlawfully entered the secure perimeter of former US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
According to officials, the incident occurred at approximately 1:30am local time (0630 GMT) while Trump was in Washington. In a statement posted on X, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said agents engaged the suspect after he breached the restricted grounds.
“The suspect, a male in his early twenties, was observed near the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago property carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can,” the agency said. Upon confrontation, Secret Service personnel opened fire, killing the individual. No agents or officers were injured during the incident.
Authorities have not yet released the identity of the suspect as officials work to notify his family and establish further details regarding his background and motive.
The development comes against the backdrop of heightened security concerns surrounding Trump, who has been the target of several assassination plots and attempts in recent years. Earlier this month, a man convicted of plotting to assassinate the former president at a Florida golf course in September 2024 was sentenced to life imprisonment.
That plot had followed an earlier assassination attempt in Pennsylvania during a campaign rally, when a gunman fired multiple shots, one of which grazed Trump’s ear. The attacker was killed by security forces at the scene, and the incident marked a turning point in the political climate ahead of the US election.
Sunday’s episode is the latest in a series of violent incidents reflecting deep political polarisation in the United States.
Investigations into the Mar-a-Lago breach are ongoing, with federal authorities working to determine whether the suspect acted alone and what may have motivated the intrusion.
